A FORMER brother-in-law of a top Midland policeman has admitted making his life a misery in a two-year harassment campaign.

Robert Cook sent letters of complaint about West Mercia Police’s assistant chief constable Simon Chesterman’s conduct to the force and published derogatory articles about his ex-wife, Mr Chesterman’s sister Nicola, on a website.

He also displayed photographs of his ex-wife designed to cause Mr Chesterman embarrassment and distributed leaflets about the police officer in the area where he lived at Cleobury Mortimer in Shropshire.

Cook, 60, Tennis Lane, Winslow, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, pleaded guilty to harassing Mr Chesterman between October 2008 and last September.

The case was dealt with at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court to ensure it was heard outside the West Mercia force area.

The case was adjourned until May 4 and Cook was released on bail on conditions he had no contact with the Chesterman family and stayed out of the patch covered by West Mercia Police, except to attend appointments with his solicitor.

The officer was appointed to his current role in June 2007 and is heavily involved on a national level for the Association of Chief Police Officers, working specifically in armed policing, Taser use and prison intelligence.

He had previously worked for Thames Valley Police since 1984.

Mr Chesterman was promoted through the ranks and pioneered covert evidence gathering techniques which led to a number of convictions.

He also worked in Thames Valley’s professional standards department.